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President's Message
Jan Emmett
President's Report No 30
Good Evening Folks,
I trust you are all safely tucked up in your homes, once again, and are all keeping well…
So much for a good thing, last week was such a great meeting and it was looking to be the same this week but of course it was too good to be true. It was great to officially be presented with this years Theme Banner by PP Kelly
As you are well aware by now that we have to go back to a Zoom meeting tomorrow, which is fine as we will still have a good night with our special Guest Speaker, Cr Rose Hodge, PHF. She has very kindly offered to join us, at short notice, to update us on what is happening in Torquay and the Surf Coast Shire.
I have no doubt that there will be many questions, so if you could keep them very brief and to the point, then I’m sure she’ll be able answer all in good time.
She is a pleasure to have as a guest and as you know from past meetings she’s attended, she’s very honest with her answers on all things Council related as well as anything else that might crop up. So, bring along friends, family, and guests, the more the merrier...!
I have a couple or six ‘Thank You’s to the people who helped make last week such a great night, and they are, Neil Henderson, who managed to pull off a fun filled and enjoyable quiz night of which we will certainly have him do again, time was against us so next time we’ll have a longer version.
To Trevor Pickles, who at last minute stepped in and conducted the ‘Fines Session’…. I’m fairly sure a few notes went in instead of coins as who uses change these days. Thank you too to the caterers for a beautiful roast dinner, a great start to being back to Face to Face meals again. Of course, Thank You’s go out to our guests who were able to join us. Lynn Brown, who is always welcome at any time, and to Michelle who is going to join us on a permanent basis. Michelle Bodington was to be Inducted tomorrow night but has decided to defer to another night when we can all get together again Face to Face.
She even brought along a friend, Jane Vogrin, who we hope we’ll see more of again too. Thank you to Richard Hawker for joining us who is originally from the RC of Warrnambool and has now made Torquay his home. We welcome and hope he’ll be joining us as a member too, hopefully in the near future.
Congratulations 🏆too goes to Mike Reed who by now would have completed his ‘Virtual PETS sessions’ over the weekend, and although he’s no newbie when it comes to becoming a President, he might have picked up a few different ideas on how to run a club. Rotary is forever evolving and having new and fresh ideas are always welcome…! we look forward to your input as our new President 🎖later in the year.
Commiserations 😥too to Greg and the ‘The Great Ocean Road Cruise’ team as this too was cancelled due to the lockdown. It’s such a terrible shame as so much hard work goes into organising these events, it must feel so disheartening... Let’s all hope that we can bring all these fundraising events back to life this time next year.
That’s it from me for now. Keep an eye out for any updates on when and where we will get together again and most of all stay safe and well.
Well our Virtual Motor Show has now closed and we will be announcing the winners at tomorrow nights Zoom meeting.
Sadly the Stage 4 Lockdown resulted in us having to also cancel the the “Great Ocean Road Cruise” so we will never know just how many cars & bikes we may have had participate
Oh well we will just have to write off 2021 and get on with planning for 2022
Please remember that there will be NO Regular Rotary Club Meeting on Monday 22nd February as we will be meeting with the Rotary Club of Grovedale/Waurn Ponds on Wednesday 24th instead
Stay tuned for details of our next meeting the week after on Monday 1st March
John McDonald was admitted to Epworth Geelong on Friday January 29th and underwent surgery for a hernia – he stayed in the surgical unit for a week with a few complications and then transferred to the Rehabilitation unit a week ago for a bit of reconditioning !
He is pictured above on his new walking machine looking forward to coming home to Zeally Bay Rd , where he may be using the walker to get down the shops as driving is restricted for at least a month !
He has enjoyed the phone calls from family, friends and Rotarians, and visits from Kirsty his daughter , Amanda & myself , but since the lockdown no visitors are allowed so he spends the days alone and would appreciate the phone calls !
Thank you especially to Peter Bollen , who was within the 5km radius and delivered the Australian to the hospital door for him to read on Sunday –
Thanks everyone – John’s number is 0405146443 – after 11.30 is a good time
Some of you may be aware that Chris Sims has moved from Alan David Lodge to Star of the Sea in Horseshoe bend Rd Torquay . Chris is going along ok and has adjusted well to his new surroundings.
Up until this latest lockdown, Chris could see visitors at any time and Chrissy was looking forward to Rotarians paying him a visit – thank you to Lesley Shedden who did see him before the no visitors restriction came in on Friday 12th February
Chrissy tells me that Chris really likes to see his mates from Rotary , so when the lockdown is finished - we will develop another roster -
Please let me know if you would be available and on which days
Around the world April 25th is declared as World Malaria Day. Here in Australia because of Anzac Day, this day has been moved to April 30th. It is a time to reflect on the impact of malaria upon the world and the progress we are making in fighting and controlling it in our countries of focus namely Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. Currently RAM is also facilitating discussions between Timor Leste and representatives from the malaria program in Indonesian West Timor (NTT Province) on cross border collaborative programs to achieve malaria free status for the whole island of Timor. RAM is now also supporting Vanuatu which has sought RAM’s help to achieve a malaria free status.
The battle against malaria continues to be waged on many fronts. We should be very proud that Australia is at the forefront of world research in developing new anti-malarial treatments and in seeking to find a suitable long lasting, cheap and easy to administer vaccine. Discovering such a vaccine is imperative because the malaria parasite transferred by an infected mosquito is developing increasing resistance to sprays and drugs. Malaria Awareness Day (MAD) is a very important day in the RAM Calendar for it is a great opportunity to promote community understanding of the global campaign to eradicate malaria by 2040. We wish to raise awareness that malaria is preventable and that early diagnosis and treatment are critical to saving lives and reducing human suffering. In 2019 an estimated 229 million people worldwide were infected with malaria. There were about 409,000 deaths with 1,120 deaths per day and approximately two thirds of these were children under 5 (statistics are from the 2020 WHO Malaria Report)
MAD is also a chance to highlight the outstanding contribution RAM has made in the last 26 years, assisting in many and various ways the local health authorities in the countries we support. For more information visit http://endmalaria.org/worldmalariaday
Please consider your Club holding a special event to recognise Malaria Awareness Day (A list of suggested activities accompanies this document)
Your event could be used to raise much needed funds that will enable RAM to continue its malaria elimination support programs. MAD flyers and RAM brochures are available to support your function/event/activity. For resources, more support and/or ideas for activities, please contact your District RAM Supervisor. District RAM Supervisors and Email Contact D 9780: Noel Howard (noelrosehoward@gmail.com)D9790: Jen Parer (jaspaross@iinet.net.au) D9800: Dr Jacob Opio (jopio@internode.on.net) D9810: Shelley Gurney (shelleyg.gurney@gmail.com) D9820: Libby Wilson (lwilson141@hotmail.com) D9830: Thisarani Jayasinghe (thisihcc89@gmail.com)
2021 is a special time for Rotary in Australia and New Zealand when we will come together to celebrate the first 100 years of Service in Australia .
In 1921, four Rotary Clubs were created in Melbourne, Auckland, Wellington and Sydney and from there, Rotary and Rotaract clubs were created everywhere across Australia and New Zealand.
We all share a centenary in 2021 as we come together and create a common legacy.
District 9780 has agreed to be a part of this special year, and Groups 9 & 10 which comprise all the Geelong Clubs from Torquay to Lara will be working together as a group in planning the celebration activities, with a baton relay on Sunday 21st March 2021, culminating in an end of the day event at Johnston Park in Central Geelong .
The Board has agreed to participate in this event and is seeking Club members interest in joining a small committee to organise Club involvement in this Centenary celebration.
If you would like to be a member of the Sub - Committee to help formulate plans for our Club's involvement with the Centenary Relay, then please contact either President Jan or Secretary Maggie.
Here's a challenge for everyone...….in these "different" times in which we are living there are more and more Clubs now holding on-line meetings so now it's easier than it's ever been to do a make-up.
You can do them from the comfort of your own home and you don't even have to get dressed up.
Let's have a club challenge to see who can do a make up form the most interesting city. Be sure to grab a screen shot of your meeting and send to me for the bulletin.
What a great way to meet other Rotarians from around the world and to find out how they are living through the COVID-19 lockdowns.
To make it easy the Rotary Club of Mount Lawley in WA have begun compiling a list of Clubs who are now holding On-Line Meetings to view the list click the link below.
Whilst we all are dealing with the COVID 19 Virus and the restrictions this has placed on our Club Meetings and all of us personally, our meetings will be held on ZOOM for the time being.
All details for how to log into the Zoom Meetings can be found in the article elsewhere in the Bulletin, on the Club Website & Facebook pages. remember that Guests are also available.
Club Members and friends also come together over the airwaves to meet and chat socially at the Friday night Happy Hour so I hope you can join in & enjoy the connection
Date
Chair
Meeting
Details
details
Mon 15th Feb
Jan Emmett
Surf Caost Shire Update + Q&A with Cr Rose Hodge PHF
On Line Zoom Meeting
Wed 24th Feb
Jan Emmett
Joint Meeting with RC Grovedale - Michael Murphy from Alcoa
Rotary International President for 2018-19 is Holger Knaack
Holger Knaack, a member of the Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany, has been selected to serve as president of Rotary International in 2020-21.
A Rotary member since 1992, Knaack has served Rotary as treasurer, director, moderator, member and chair of several committees, representative for the Council on Legislation, zone coordinator, training leader, and district governor. He is an endowment/major gifts adviser and co-chair of the Host Organization Committee for the 2019 Rotary International Convention in Hamburg. Knaack is the CEO of Knaack KG, a real estate company. He was previously a partner and general manager of Knaack Enterprises, a 125-year-old family business. He is a founding member of the Civic Foundation of the City of Ratzeburg and served as president of the Golf-Club Gut Grambek. Knaack is also the founder and chair of the Karl Adam Foundation. Knaack and his wife, Susanne, are Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation and members of the Bequest Society.
Melbourne has been announced as the host city for the 2023 Rotary International Convention, the largest conference secured this century for Victoria.
Melbourne is a Big Events City! Set to deliver over $88 million to the Victorian economy, the Convention is the most valuable conference ever won for the state, with the four-day event anticipated to attract more than 20,000 Rotarians from around the world. The global spotlight will be on Melbourne and how we present ourselves to the world.
The Convention will take place 27-31 May 2023 using Rod Laver Arena and the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre for functions.
Watch this Space for further news as it comes to hand.
